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Worcester

The main goal of these downtown projects, though, is to transform these areas into 24-hour neighborhoods with not just homes but entertainment venues like restaurants, movie theaters, and concert halls where people can spend their off hours. The idea helped West Hartford, Conn., and transformed downtown Providence. City officials are hoping it will do the same for their cities.

"We're developing these spaces with idea of civic life being part of a lifestyle," said Tim Love principal of Utile Inc., an architecture and planning firm in Boston.